The Sea God's Heart Gathering Dust in the Storeroom

Qian Daoliu's interest stirred when he heard that Soul Tools had ranks. "It sounds as though many new Soul Tools appeared in the future. Did someone discover ancient ruins?"

"Something like that. Soul Tool technology became extremely advanced in the future."

Qian Zong grinned from ear to ear. After putting away the two Soul Tools, he grew serious.

"Although I plan to rest for a while, there are some things we can prepare in advance.

"Grandpa, Grandpa Golden Crocodile, what I'm about to tell you will shake the foundations of the Soul Master World. Do not tell anyone outside the Worship Hall and the Angel Legion.

"If Bibi Dong asks, tell her to come to me herself. There are some things I'd like to test on her."

Seeing how seriously Qian Zong took this, Golden Crocodile Douluo and Qian Daoliu nodded solemnly. They knew the heart of the matter was yet to come.

Three months later.

Spirit City stood on the border between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire, built around a mountain. Its walls rose eighty meters high and were thirty meters thick, constructed from solid blocks of granite and hard as iron.

At the city's center stood an enormous hill called Pope Mountain. Spirit Hall had been built around it.

The Worship Hall stood at the summit, the Papal Hall halfway down, and below them were the Elder Hall, training camps, and various administrative departments.

"I never thought the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was so underhanded. They secretly used their Martial Soul to spot treasures everyone else had missed. No wonder they've amassed so much ill-gotten wealth over the years."

"Exactly! Thank goodness His Holiness the Pope was wise and mighty enough to ban the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect from auctions and treasure appraisals in Spirit City. Who knows how many more treasures we'd have lost otherwise?"

"Hey! Haven't you heard? They say His Holiness the Pope didn't give the order. The newly appointed Spirit Hall Young Hall Master did, and His Holiness the Pope merely carried it out!"

"Bullshit! His Holiness the Pope is invincible!"

"I also heard that the continent's strongest support Martial Soul is the Ye Family's Nine Heart Begonia. Ning Fengzhi, sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, took a fancy to the wife of the Nine Heart Begonia Family's head and secretly murdered him.

"After that, the Nine Heart Begonia Family never recovered. Only then did the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda take the place of the continent's strongest support Martial Soul."

"Brother, you can't go around saying things like that."

"What are you afraid of? This is Spirit City. Those second-rate sects can't throw their weight around here. Come on, brother, tell us more!"

Spirit City was a sacred place of cultivation for Soul Masters across the continent.

At that moment, two youths sat opposite each other by a second-floor window of a library roughly a kilometer west of Pope Mountain, one older and one younger.

Both had delicate features and wore long robes, one black and the other white.

Conversation rose and fell in the street below. The older youth held a cup of coffee and gazed out the window, a trace of uncertainty and worry in his eyes.

"Zong'er, will this really work? Isn't it a little underhanded?"

The two were none other than Qian Renxue, disguised as the Crown Prince, and Qian Zong, whom Spirit Hall had appointed its new Young Hall Master three months earlier.

"If it didn't work, how would you have ended up here as the Crown Prince, Ancestor?"

Qian Zong smiled, picked up the bamboo cup on the table, closed his lips around its straw, and took a long pull.

"Burp~ Ah, that hit the spot~"

After taking a sip, Qian Zong held the bamboo cup out to Xue Qinghe, pressing the straw against his lower lip. "Have some, Ancestor."

"No, thanks. I'll stick with this."

Xue Qinghe raised his coffee slightly, then turned his head to avoid Qian Zong's enthusiastic offer.

Qian Zong refused to give up. He followed Xue Qinghe with the straw, brushing it against his lips again and again.

After dodging three times, Xue Qinghe saw that Qian Zong would not relent. Helpless, he said softly, "Just one little sip."

"Here, drink!"

Once more, Qian Zong brought the straw to Xue Qinghe's lower lip.

This time, Xue Qinghe did not dodge. He parted his lips and took the straw into his mouth.

Just then, Xue Qinghe remembered that Qian Zong had used the same straw a moment ago. A faint blush rose to his cheeks.

Three months had passed. He had accepted Qian Zong as his dear grandson, but he had not quite grown used to Qian Zong being a young man.

Xue Qinghe took a small sip. Finding it tasty, he quietly took another.

"Ancestor, you're such a poser. If you like it, drink more. I won't make fun of you."

After spending this time together, Qian Zong had begun to understand why Tang San had won Qian Renxue over so easily.

She was a pure-hearted, prideful girl through and through.

She was talented, but had too little experience. Her lofty position and the love she had lacked since birth also made her way of thinking unlike other people's.

"You dare tease your ancestor? Your skin must be itching for a beating!"

Xue Qinghe raised a hand and gave Qian Zong a light swat on the head.

Qian Zong shrank his neck and put on a pitiful face. "Ancestor, you'd hit an injured man? You have no heart."

"Tch~" Xue Qinghe rolled his eyes and dropped the act. He set down his coffee, snatched the bamboo cup from Qian Zong's hand, and drank deeply. "Zong'er, this is sweet and sour. It's surprisingly good."

Qian Zong puffed out his chest and said confidently, "You only think it's good because you've never had the finer stuff. To me, this barely counts as something to quench my thirst."

Over the past three months, Qian Zong had renovated Spirit City from top to bottom in the name of the Spirit Hall Young Hall Master.

Now Mixue Bingcheng shops, milk tea shops, fried chicken shops, cafés, snack stalls, and more were everywhere in Spirit City. It was no longer as deserted as before; everyday life had brought warmth and bustle to its streets.

Qian Zong had also built a library called the Martial Soul Library. It held a vast collection of copies of Spirit Hall texts, which Soul Masters from across the continent could borrow for free.

While building the library, Qian Zong had also installed the Spirit Hall Genius Members Register by the north wall on the first floor. It listed basic information and Soul Ring ages for Spirit Hall's gifted members throughout its history.

"All right, I know you're impressive. Here's your reward." Xue Qinghe turned his left hand over, revealing a palm-sized blue triangular prism. "This is the Heaven Dou Empire's national treasure you wanted: the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.

"The Heaven Dou Empire has studied it for centuries without discovering how to use it.

"Zong'er, what do you want it for?"

Overjoyed, Qian Zong took the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.

The moment it touched his hand, it felt cool and smooth, like a flawless sapphire.

He examined it closely and silently analyzed it. The shape and color match the animation. This must be it.

After turning it over in his hands for a while, Qian Zong asked, "Ancestor, are you sure this is the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud? Was it really that easy to bring it out of the palace?"

"When your ancestor handles something, you can set your heart back in your belly."

Xue Qinghe lifted his chin and explained:

"The empire may call it a national treasure, but it's been sitting in the palace treasury for hundreds of years. No one pays it any attention.

"Even if it goes missing, they won't notice for a long time."

Seeing Qian Zong grinning so broadly that his face almost bloomed, Xue Qinghe finally caught on.

"Zong'er, do you know how to use it?"